Change of tactics, a CMA completed and a TMA marked

I've decided to change tactics to see how it goes. Instead of alternating between MT365 and M336 unit by unit, I'm going a block of units on one, then a block of units on the other. The reason is to try to space out the TMA's/CMA's better. So...

I'm almost at the end of the MT365 block, and have completed the corresponding CMA which isn't actually due for another 6 weeks or so, and I'm well into the TMA too. Let's see how it works out.

I also got back my TMA01 for MT365 late last week and scored 92%. I was a tiny bit disappointed with that as I got 95% for the first TMA on M336, and I thought I would have done better on MT365. Still, it's a decent mark, so I'm not complaining.

Changed the blog title

Since the BSc (Hons) is my target, I changed the blog title to reflect that by adding the (Hons) part.

Letters after my name!

I can now use the letter "BSc Open (Open)" after my name!

I decided to accept an ordinary degree en-route to my honours degree. It feels good in a way, although it's not my ultimate goal.

At least now, I can tick the box "must have a degree" on a job application should I need to in future. I hope I don't need that in the next six months, but one never knows.

MT365 off to a good start too!

100% in CMA41. I think that's the first 100% I've had from memory (I can't be bothered checking back at this stage)

M336 off to a good start

My TMA01 came back in the post today just 2 days after the deadline for submission. That must be some sort of record. The result hasn't even appeared on my student homepage yet, which is a bit suspicious, but anyway according to the PT3 form I scored 95% which is probably another record (for me in a Maths TMA that is).

It's been a pretty good week all round for me regarding the OU, so things are certainly looking up.

No more computing! TM470 and M256 results are here

I looked at my student home page this morning, and couldn't believe what I was reading...

M256 - Distinction
TM470 - Grade 2 pass

This was much better than I was expecting. The relief that all the computing work is over, and I haven't spoiled things with some poor results has left me feeling quite emotional.

Now I feel I can move on.

Two TMA's in the post, 25% of the course work complete

So, both M336 and MT365 TMA01's are consigned to the Royal Mail and I can now say that 25% of the academic years coursework is complete.

Although I can't quite see the light at the end of the tunnel yet, I have the feeling it might just be visible around the next corner.

First post of the academic year 2013/2014

It's been a while since I last posted. To be brutally honest, I've lost my motivation almost entirely. The problems I had with my tutor on TM470 have left me with a foul taste of all things OU related, and it's caused me to get off to a bad start on what is hopefully my final year. Just 2 math modules, and it's all over.

So, what's happened? not much really, I messed up my exam for M256 in October, so I'm not expecting the best of grades, and the less said about TM470 the better. Still, I can't change anything there, and I should have both of those results by the end of the month.

I've started both MT365 and M366, and am more or less enjoying one of those (MT365). I use the word 'enjoying' rather loosely, because I'd much rather be out riding my bike you understand!

Because I've been a bit slack on the studying, I've had to take a few days off work to ensure I get my TMA's and CMA's in on time. They all seem to come at once, so it's a bit of a struggle, but I just put my first CMA for MT365 in, and TMA01 for M366 is almost done. TMA01 for MT365 is in-progress, and hopefully I'll be somewhere near with it by the end of play tomorrow.

I've added a countdown section to the blog which just tracks the number of TMA's, CMA's and exams I have remaining. I'm hoping that as the numbers start to diminish, it will give me some further motivation.

That's all for now!

The TM470 torture is over

TM470 has been a painful experience, but I've sent in my EMA, and all I can do now is wait for the result. My marks all along have been pretty rubbish despite my best efforts, so I'm not expecting anything earth-shattering in terms of a result, but I've put more hours into this module than any other.

My tutor and I didn't gel from the get-go, and communication between us has been a struggle to say the least, so on the one module where I've needed the most help, I've received the least.

But no point dwelling on that now, there is only a few weeks until M256 exam, and then into the final year of studies. Can't wait to get my life back.

M208 Success!

This one means a lot to me. I may have only got a grade 3 pass, with the 63% I scored in the exam, but it really took some hard work on my behalf to achieve that.

I've repeatedly replied to friends and family, when asked, that I was in danger of failing this module, only to be met with a flippant "oh, you'll pass" in response, but I wasn't seeking encouragement, I was simply stating the truth, that failure was a real possibility.

In the end I took two weeks off work, and just practiced on past papers, and without this I'm sure the result would have been a different story altogether.

But hey, that's all my level-2 maths out of the way now, just two modules to finish off for this academic year, and then I will study my final two modules starting in October.

TM470 TMA03

It's been some time since I posted, and although I've had this TMA marked for some time, I've not reported on here. The reason being that I was so incensed by some of the comments by my tutor (who I'm not getting on at all well with) that I felt it better I wrote nothing than something I might regret.

Let's just say I was (and am still) not happy, and leave it at that.

TM470 TMA03 dispatched

I sweated blood over this darned thing, and finally sent it in last night. Already I can think of some things I missed, but hey-ho it's gone now, no point fretting about it. Man, do I hate this module!

I think I should do a ranking of the modules I've done, at some point, TM470 won't be the top, but it will probably have a place on the podium.

I must be going mad

I registered for another starting in October...MT365

M208 Exam Done!

The M208 exam was today, so it's all over now, just a case of waiting for the result.

I'm not sure how I've done, I'd like to think I scored enough to get a pass (which I will be satisfied with) but I will just have to wait until August to find out. Until then, I have plenty of things to do, such as a TMA apiece for TM470 and M256, so I will try to put M208 to the back of my mind and focus on the present.

Maybe I'll sign up for another module before I change my mind.

The state of play

It's been a while since I last posted, as I've had a lot on my plate, and simply haven't got around to it, so here is a short summary of where I'm at.

M256 TMA02, I sent in months early, so I wouldn't have to think about it in the weeks leading up to my maths exam. I didn't really do it justice, and today I got a mark of 76%, which is pretty poor really, but is probably a wake-up call that I need to start doing some work on this module.

I made some calculations using the assessment calculator for M208, and realised that whether I actually did one of the two remaining TMA's on M208 or not, wasn't really going to affect my score too much, and so I made a stab at TMA07, and a half-hearted attempt at TMA06, and sent both in together. I got 74% for TMA07, and 50% for TMA06. This is enough to average me comfortably above 70%, and since there is no possible way on earth I will get over 85% for the exam, I'm more than happy with that for the overall.

So now I'm revising for M208 which is on Friday this week. This is the critical exam for me, as I think it's in the balance whether I actually pass or not!

TM470 TMA02 marked

Despite my best efforts I scored one less than on the previous TMA - 68%, but what the hell. I'm just going to focus on completing my project which I'm really doing for myself anyway.

I want to finish my project with a working solution, something that I intend to make use of myself, and there is no way that will happen if I fanny about with discussing why I made this or that decision, and documenting the bleeding obvious.

M208 decisions, decisions

I just got my M208  TMA05 paper back, and it bucked the downward trend with a mighty 80%. A quick look at the assignment calculator and I reckon I now have enough OCAS marks to keep me in the safety zone without doing the final two TMA's at all. Granted, I'm going to be settling for a lowish overall mark, but I actually think I have more OCAS marks than I'm going to get for the OES part anyway.

I think it would actually take the pressure off a bit if I forgot about the TMA's and just concentrated on revision.

I might just fire off an email to my tutor to that effect.

TM470 TMA02 Submitted

Well, it's gone. I'm not expecting big things, because I'm not really in-tune with the whole thing, which is process and documentation top-heavy, and in no way conducive to productivity for an individual developer working on a software development project.

I sort of understand why it is the way it is, but it does nothing for my motivation. Perhaps if I was remotely interested in joining the BCS at the end of all this, that would add something, but I'm not.

Actually on the subject of the BCS, the only person I have encountered in the whole of my career that I know for sure was a member was someone on my M253 team a couple of years back, yet they claim to have 70,000 members worldwide. You would have thought that in 30+ years in the business I would have bumped into a few more. Maybe I have, and didn't recognise what the letters on the business card stood for at the time.

The Spirit of Enterprise

Here I am mid-way through preparing the second TMA for TM470, and what an exasperating experience it is proving to be. I seem to be wasting time jumping through hoops instead of getting on with the project itself.

TM470 seems to be all about the process and nothing about the result. Coming from a background where no-one pays you unless you deliver something, it really grates with me.

Let's say you order a car, and when it arrives, it's in pieces - wheels missing, the engine doesn't work and there are no brakes. The sales person says to you "...but the manual is fantastic, and the manufacturer's processes are second to none", would you be happy? I don't think so.

Entrepreneurs like Richard Branson and Alan Sugar have always struck me as people who want results, not a load of paperwork.

Maybe it's just me. Now that's off my chest - back to the TMA!

Two TMA's out of the way

I finally finished M208 TMA05 today which has been a bit of a marathon, and then M256 TMA02 which isn't due until June, but I didn't want it disturbing my exam week.

Feels good to have cleared a bit off my plate!

M256 TMA01 marked

I'm back on track with this, having scored 90% on my first TMA. Actually I was just a tiny bit disappointed I didn't score higher, but given my current level of enthusiasm for the OU work (i.e. none) I suppose I should be satisfied, because I've put very little effort into this module to date.

One difficulty I have, is that having worked in the software industry for a long time, I tend to look at the  computing modules I study from a certain perspective, and to me, the material I've covered (so far) on this particular module has been so far detached from reality that I wonder what possible relevance it has. I do try to put aside my own opinions when doing the TMA's and just do exactly what is being asked for, reminding myself that it's the mark that matters, but it's not easy to do that.

M208 heading south

Hmm, just 68% for TMA04, and it seems only a few weeks back that I was saying what a disappointment my 79% for TMA03 was.

Well, this reflects the way things are going really, I'm feeling really jaded with the whole OU thing, and I'm struggling with motivation. I've considered just packing it all in, but then again I keep thinkig that there are just a few weeks to go to the exam, and only 3 more M208 TMA's

Although I think it's highly unlikely I will pass M208 at this point (based on the fact that I hardly understand any of it) I may as well continue through to the end of the course and give the exam a shot, as there is always a slight possibility I can scrape a pass.

From breadboard to Arduino shield

The initial circuit I made on the breadboard was OK for a quick test to check everything worked as expected, but I needed something a bit more robust with less wires flailing around. So I designed a circuit on stripboard that could be used as a simple Arduino shield. This is much better to work with.

And you know what? It still works!!!

my Arduino shield

... plugged into the Arduino

TM470 Project - time to reveal a bit about it

My project has an element to it that involves some electronics, and I've been informed by my tutor that the building of this hardware part cannot be considered as part of the TM470 project. In other words, I can't get any marks for that part, and as such it doesn't officially form part of my project. It's a shame really, because it's an integral part of my system, and without it there is no project. But those are the rules, so I will have to abide by them.

On the plus side, since this part is not marked, and doesn't form part of the official project, I see no reason at all why I can't write about it here, so from time to time, I intend to write about my progress in this area.

Today I made some positive steps with what I will refer to as my 'bluetooth transmitter'. At this stage, it's just a prototype, and it will eventually be miniaturised somewhat, but the basic idea is the same.

The transmitter unit is based on the Arduino and a cheap bluetooth module from off ebay. The idea is that it takes readings from a wheel/disc and transmits that to the receiver unit which forms another part of my system. I won't say any more about the rest of the system at this stage , as I'm not sure whether that would contravene some of the OU rules.

Here are a few pictures of what I have so far...

bluetooth transmitter on breadboard

hooked up to the Arduino

test rig

sensor and magnet (and rolled up train ticket)

Right now, I have a simple prototype with data being exchanged successfully between a Java program on the PC and the Arduino. More to come later...
 

TM470 gets off to a disappointing start

Well, just over a day since I submitted my TMA and it's already marked. A very disappointing 69%. Could be the worst OU mark I've had to date, and I'd put a lot of effort into that paper too.

Problem is I'm more keen on the practical side of things, i.e. 'getting the job done' as opposed to writing and pontificating.

I'll just have to try even harder for the next one I suppose.

TM470 first TMA submitted

TMA01 for TM470 was submitted today. Rather late for me, as the deadline is tomorrow, and I'm usually in advance of that. In the end I had to take a day off work to ensure I finished it in time.

I'm keen enough to get the project work done, as the end product is something that I will use myself, but writing the document for the TMA was a real drag, and I enjoyed nothing about the process. I spent ages writing, rearranging, deleting, re-wording etc. with a feeling that it wasn't moving my project forward in any way. All it's done is dampen my enthusiasm.

Still, it's out of the way now, so on with the real project work.

M208 TMA03 is marked

Got it back this morning, and a disappointing 79%. I say disappointing, but it's not really. If I get anywhere near 79% in the exam I will be over the moon. However, I think it's about the worst mark I've ever had in a TMA

M256 TMA01 part 1 done!

A record for me, I completed part 1 of the TMA01 which has to be submitted in isolation to the remainder of it, and the module hasn't even started yet. I couldn't even submit it because I haven't had my tutor allocated to me yet. It's good to get ahead though, because I now don't have to think about M256 much until March.

Progress Update

I feel like it's time for a progress update!

I've been struggling with M208, not really enjoying it, and I'm finding the workload a bit heavy. Most of my weekends are now ruined with OU work. The scary thing is that I have 2 more modules starting in February, so it's only going to get worse! Still, I'm about 60% of the way through TMA03, and there are only 4 more after that, so I'm closing in on the halfway point.

Christmas was a write-off, as was the week before, and week after, since I was suffering with an abscess on my tooth which would not go away despite visits to the dentist and 2 doses of antibiotics.  I found I couldn't concentrate for more than a few seconds because of the pain. I would read a sentence, then realise I couldn't remember a word of it, re-read it and immediately forget it once again. So in the end I gave up.

I have, however, done quite a bit of research for my TM470 project, and officially I needn't have done that at this point, since the module has not yet started, but my project is challenging, and I need to get a lot of things clear in my head, since I will struggle for time otherwise. So I'm fairly happy at this point.

I did have an unpleasant episode related to my TM470 project, when an update to Windows 8 on my PC caused Bluetooth to stop working (a clue to one component of my project there). It took me a number of hours to resolve it. In a nutshell, I ended up editing the registry because the Bluetooth Support Service had the wrong account. This had been working on Windows 8, so it must have been cause by one of MS's wonderful update patches.

For my own reference:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\bthserv

set

ObjectName = NT Authority\LocalService

(was LocalSystem without the NT Authority part)

M256 Materials, Netbeans vs Eclipse

The M256 hard-copy materials arrived today, including yet another Netbeans guide, and a Netbeans CD. I'm not a fan of Netbeans, and I actually avoided using it altogether on M255 and used Eclipse instead, but on M362 I didn't have time to mess around with Eclipse and Glassfish, so I reluctantly used Netbeans where I had to.

One of the reasons was that cutting/pasting code from the editor into a word document (or in my case LibreOffice) for the assignments worked way better with Eclipse than Netbeans.

I've a hunch I will be able to get away with using Eclipse for most of M256, except I believe there are parts which use the Netbeans GUI builder, in which case I will have to relent.